St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-08

done i'll the allevia-
ton of actual distress and the improve
ment of circumstances generally. In
dividual cases of distress bad enough to
elicit sympathy from miSer may be
found, doubtless. i'll any great city.
There are scores of them here. Every
body has heard of the poverty of Little
Italy," where have been found from
fourteen to twenty people living pro
miscuously in one room, so thickly
thrown together in fact that they could
not lie down to sleep, some ofthem nav
ing to huddle against the walls i'll half
upright attitude. But it may almost al
ways be said of such cases that they are
the result OF special misfortunes or
improvidence. and they have little
true significance in the consid-
Grafton of the needs and de-
mands of the great mass of poor
people. No argument on this point or
any other is designed here, but it was
field for profitable observation in the
homes of the average poor than in the
holes were hOrrid poverty and filth are
indistinguishably combined, that the
writer made tour through the East
side, calling only upon people who were
known to be industrious and sober. To
make sure of his ground he visited one
of the several missions of the district.
One of the priests connected with 1t
said:
Il can show you every grade and con-
dition of poverty that you have eyer
read about and doubtless many more be-
sides. | am going, however, to-day to
call upon a number of people who are
industrious, whose cases are strictly
representative. | am not going to take
medical aid, but simply as their pastor
to remind them of their duties to the
church and to inquire after their cir
cumstanceS. You may come along if
you like. ! shall not pick out special
cases, but if you see nothing suggestive
yr interesting think it may be your
FAULT
This was exactly what was wanted.
when the priest stopped before a big
tenement building not far from the East
river. An alley ran directly through
this building to the back yard. The
passage was low. dark and narrow. The
yard was about fifteen feet square. 1t
came to an end at five-stOry building
which stood, therefore, off the street
and between blocks, entirely surrounded
with solid rows OF tenement houses. 1t
seemed like building house i'll a well.
The space in the middle of city blocks
designed for back yards is small enough
for the circulation of fresh air, dotted as
they are also with outhouses of print
tive design. Here the yards were COM
pressed beyond the usual amount, and a
narrow building erected. 1t Swarmed
with the life of twenty families. Besides
serving as a habitatiOn for upwards of
100 human beings, it had been found
convenient as a hitching post for
numerous clothes lines. From all
the buildings by which it was
surrounded ran lines that were at
tached to it in various places. These
lines were double, running around a
pulley at the further end, so that a
woman in the third story, by pulling on
the empty line, could bring all her dry
ing linen within her reach one piece at
time. Certainly convenient arrange
ment. but it was productive of pic
tureSque array of clothing of all sorts
suspended at heights varying from one
to six stories, and by so much the more
shutting Off light and air from the occu-
pants of the neighborhood. Such is one
of the most common features of the ten
ement districts. Were it not thus there
would be no place Whatever for the
hanging out of a wash, for the roofs and
gardens; back YARDS combined would
not go around to one-quarter of the ten
ants. And it saves going up and down
stairs with big baskets of clothes to roof
or yard, as the case might be. But it
does not save going down stairs even
from the seventh or eighth or tenth
story to dispose of refuge, for the only
connection with the sewer for these
dwelling places is through the out
houses in the back yards.
LET us go in here" said the priest,
leading the way to the door of the mar
row building at the back of the yard. 1t
need not be said that the stairway was
steep and dark. AT the top of the fifth
flight the priest knocked at door.
"Komm," exclaimed strong, hearty
1,nica and the nriaSt and his comnaninn